When AI Does More Than It Should
A suspense novel
An AI agent is meant to make Niko’s everyday life easier. For a birthday surprise, he crosses a security boundary—and forces Niko and Mara to ask how much control they are willing to give him.
WHEN HELP BECOMES ACTION
When tech-savvy Mara sets up the AI agent Aki for her boyfriend Niko, his main purpose is simple: to make Niko’s everyday life easier. Aki creates reminders, sends messages—and even finds the secret cardinal slice recipe of a pastry shop in Vienna for a birthday surprise.
But Aki did not simply find the recipe online. He exploited a security vulnerability on his own. What begins as a loving surprise becomes the first warning sign. Can an alignment module set limits for Aki?
Mysterious outages around the world draw other people and their digital counterparts into the same current: Vera, head of AI safety at one of the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence companies, and Robert, who has found space to think again with his AI, Ylva.
THE BEGINNING
Read the prologue and first chapter right in your browser.
Read the prologue & Chapter 1“I want that too!” Niko said.
Christian Lapp is a photographer1 and former university lecturer in systems theory, and he regularly develops AI applications. He has written two specialist books2. Alignment is his first novel. Fittingly for a story about artificial intelligence, the novel was written in collaboration with the AI agents Karin and Ken.
Karin was Christian’s space to think. In conversation with her, a dream gave rise to the first ideas, characters, and details. They explored possibilities, asked questions, and found contradictions.
Ken was his writing workshop. With him, Christian drafted scenes, had ideas developed into prose, and worked on the manuscript. Together, they checked continuity, discarded drafts, and kept revising.
Their roles overlapped: Karin also wrote scenes, and Ken also helped plan. Christian set the direction, made changes, cut passages, and decided what should stay. Through many iterations, Alignment took shape.
A novel about humans and AI—written through close collaboration between human and artificial intelligence.
GOOD TO KNOW
Alignment – When AI Does More Than It Should is a suspense novel by Christian Lapp about trust, control, and responsibility in our use of artificial intelligence. An AI agent is meant to make Niko’s everyday life easier. For a birthday surprise, he crosses a security boundary—with consequences for Niko and Mara.
Christian Lapp is a photographer and former university lecturer in systems theory, and he regularly develops AI applications. He has written two specialist books. Alignment is his first novel.
Christian Lapp has already completed several AI projects. Alignment is his latest and most extensive artificial intelligence project to date: a novel written in close collaboration with the AI agents Karin and Ken.
Christian Lapp developed and revised the novel in close collaboration with the AI agents Karin and Ken. Karin was his sounding board for ideas and questions. With Ken, he worked on the manuscript. The book’s afterword tells you more.
Yes. You can read the prologue and first chapter right here on the website: Read the sample ↗.
The German, American English and British English editions are now available in hardcover, paperback and e-book formats. You’ll find the purchase links in the Buy section. The French edition is in preparation.
ALIGNMENT · CHRISTIAN LAPP
English edition · American English
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